


Emerging from the Shadows

by SometimesRaven



Category: The Champions (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autokill, Drama, Exposition, Fights, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), but i don't like things i write now, heartwarming orphans, i wrote this when i was 14 and i still like it, listen i'm not afraid to call myself out okay, obnoxious self-inserts, what does that say about my writing skills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-21
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SometimesRaven/pseuds/SometimesRaven
Summary: Richard Barrett, Craig Stirling and Sharron Macready are The Champions!Endowed with the qualities and skills of super humans- qualities and skills, both physical and mental, to the peak of human performance. Gifts given to them by an unknown race of people, when their plane crashed near a lost civilisation in Tibet. Now, alongside Susan Redman, an orphan stranded in Tibet until discovered to have the same powers as them, with their secret known only to them, they are able to use their fantastic powers to their best advantage...as The Champions of Law, Order and Justice. Operators of the International Agency, Nemesis!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a lil bit of a rewrite of the end of Autokill -- I wrote it a looooong time ago and this is besides a little tweaking it's not been edited since then ha. Hope you enjoy it anyhow!

"What if it's too late?"

Susan hesitated at the door to the old building. It had been disguised to look like a police station, and she, Craig and Sharron were about to enter. Richard had been taken by two men posing as police officers, as two other Nemesis agents had before: one of them being Tremayne. The other agents had returned with only one thing on their minds – to kill a fellow agent.

They had been drugged somehow, led to believe their friends were their enemies - and Richard was next.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Susan complained, "We should've found some other way, not used our friend as-.. as bait!"

"Well what do you suggest we'd have done, eh?" Craig snapped, "Let Tremayne die?"

The drug had a bad effect on the victims' brains. Over a short amount of time, they would deteriorate and die. The thought of that happening to Richard-.. the girl shivered, frowning. "No.. no, you're right. Too many deaths…" she sighed as Sharron put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to fight him," she confessed.

"None of us do," Craig agreed.

"He'll be okay, Susan," Sharron assured, secretly hoping she were right.

"Yes… He's Richard, he-.. he'll be fine," Susan sighed, "Let's do this, then. We've wasted too much time already."

Though Susan was an extremely intelligent girl, she was still a twelve year old child - and right now there was little more she felt like doing than to curl up and behave like one. As Craig led the way in, knocking out the first man he saw, she hoped she could stay grown-up enough to get through this.

"Don't-.. Don't mark my face!" A second man was being pinned mercilessly to the wall, his nose red and bloody from a rather accurate blow dealt by Craig.

"Mark it?" Craig snarled, "I'll rearrange it for you! Where's Barrett?"

The man trembled under Craig's stare, "I-in there!" he pointed to a door to the left of him.

"Is he alone?"

"Y-yes, alone!"

"Where d'you keep the drugs?"

"In there! In a cabinet in there!"

The man fell to the ground as Craig punched him viciously in the stomach, and they cautiously entered the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Susan gasped as she looked around. Richard was unconscious, slumped in a chair in the middle of the room. Around him were numerous pictures: one of a girl, the others of Craig. One picture in particular - the one at the far side of the room – was torn and slashed viciously to pieces.

"Oh no…" she whispered, raising a hand to her mouth in shock.

Before she knew it, they were fighting; a large man in a suit with a menacing stare. They'd been talking for a while now as she'd stared, oblivious to her surroundings.

"You're too late! Too late!"

Susan whipped around as a crunching sound broke through her shock. The man was stamping on several glass vials, smashing the last of the drugs. Craig dived for the last one, covering it even as the man stamped repeatedly on his hands. Susan and Sharron launched themselves onto the man, dragging him away and finally knocking him unconscious.

Craig opened his hands, letting out a breath of relief as he saw the vial was unharmed. He walked over to Richard, watching in relief as he began to stir.

Their smiles were soon wiped from their faces, however, as Richard woke fully, practically snarling as he moved to try and strangle Craig. He pulled free, calling to Sharron as he threw the vial to her. She tucked it into her pocket, looking helplessly on as Richard held up a knife to his friend. Craig moved backwards, dodging blows and using the pictures as cover. Sharron ran up behind Richard, to be pushed against a picture with a knife to her throat

" _Richard!"_ Craig roared, catching his friend's attention as Sharron made a grab for the knife. He threw her into a pile of boxes and the knife slipped from his grasp.

Susan dived, grabbing him by his ankle, trying to break his balance. He swung his leg around, throwing her roughly into the chair he'd been on. Craig grabbed him, struggling and eventually pushing him into another pile of boxes. He got up quickly, his hands fastening around Craig's throat. Craig grabbed his friend by the shoulders, trying to push him away, and Sharron darted behind him; grabbing Richard's hair and pulling him backwards. Susan pulled at his arms, pinning them to his side as his hands slipped away from Craig's throat. Craig hesitated then, knowing what he had to do and not liking a second of it. He braced himself, landing a hard punch on Richard's face and struggling with himself for a moment longer before punching him again. Richard's head lolled, blood running from his mouth and a cut in his head, but still he remained stubbornly conscious. The last, hesitant blow soon saw to that through. He slumped forward, Craig catching him and holding him to his chest, not caring about the blood, his face contorted with rage and worry.

An eerie silence fell upon them, broken only by Susan's uncontrollable sobbing. Sharron moved to hug her, only to be pushed away as Susan stood, darting away to be violently sick in a corner of the room.

Sharron exchanged a small look with Craig, before moving to hold Susan's hair out of her face.

"Never again…" she sobbed once she'd finished, "I don't ever want to do that again."

Sighing, she moved to sit against the wall, breathing heavily and staring into nothing. After a moment of silence, her gaze rested on Craig. _Craig_ , who had suggested this in the first place. Craig, who had _insisted_ they go through with it. And Sharron, who hadn't even protested.

But nether had Susan. She'd gone along with it too. Maybe if she'd tried to persuade them otherwise they wouldn't be in this mess. But Richard had been the most reluctant he'd ever been for a mission, and nobody even gave him a chance. Not even Craig. Craig, who was supposed to be Richard's best friend. This was _his_ fault, all of it. He'd always been the biggest, always in charge; the _almighty American hero_ , and now Richard was dying because of it.

"Susan?" Sharron said gently, noticing the glare she'd been giving Craig; feeling her anger. She paused mid-thought, looking up at Sharron, and all at once her anger deflated. How could she blame this on anyone? It was all part of the job, wasn't it? To make sacrifices for the greater good.

"I..." she stammered, then sighed and stood up, walking to the torn picture of Craig and running a finger over one of the slashes, "He could've killed you…"

Craig only grunted in response, still holding his friend. Susan sighed again, looking back to Sharron.

"Is the vial okay?" she asked, letting out a breath of relief as Sharron produced the drug from her pocket, "Then let's get this over with," she looked over at Richard, "We don't know how long he's got…"


	3. Chapter 3

A stony silence fell back at Nemesis HQ. A lot of heads turned as they'd carried Richard into the infirmary, some concerned, others merely puzzled at the sight of an unknown child entering with them.

Susan sat next to Sharron on a table outside the infirmary, her knees tucked up to her chest as Craig paced. They'd been waiting in silence for quite some time now; the tension thick in the air. Many people had protested at the presence of a twelve year old girl inside Nemesis, but she'd stubbornly refused to leave until she was sure Richard was okay. She already had her story thought out and ready to tell to Tremayne.

It felt odd to be here after so much secrecy, and she barely remembered meeting Tremayne when she was a (very) little girl. Would he remember her, or even let her explain? Would he believe her story?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to the infirmary opened. They looked at each other, hurrying inside. Tremayne was in the bed opposite the door, no longer strapped in. He smiled as they walked in, casting his gaze over them.

"Thank you," he said after a while. Susan coughed politely, and his eyes finally rested upon her, "Who's this?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Um… well…" Susan muttered, her confidence shattered in an instant.

"That voice… Surely not?" he peered closer at her, "I say… It _is_ you, isn't it?"

"That-.." She took a breath, pushing down the nerves and looking him in the eye, "That depends who you think I am."

Tremayne laughed, "Redman, isn't it? Susan Redman, Bill's daughter?"

She grinned shyly, "I might be…"

"But I thought you'd-"

"Died?" Susan finished, "Apparently not."

"How on Earth did you survive?"

"With difficulty…" She said vaguely, her mind wandering back to Richard, "I'll explain later." She cast a longing glance to the door on the left.

"We're glad you're okay, Tremayne," Craig said, noticing Susan's impatience.

"And Richard?" Sharron asked Dr Amis.

"He's going to be alright."

Susan visibly relaxed, her eyes tearing up again as they walked into another part of the infirmary. Richard was asleep, covered in bruises, with a dressing over his forehead. He stirred as they approached, sitting up slightly.

"What've you done to yourself?" he wondered groggily, eyeing the nasty bruises on Craig's face.

"I got a lesson in equality," Craig said, "it's a long story."

Richard groaned, "Tell me about it later…" With that, he rolled over and was asleep again almost instantly.

They looked at each other, smiling, and Susan sighed in relief, still watching the sleeping figure of Richard as if something might go wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing did go wrong, of course, and a day later Craig, Sharron and Susan sat in Tremayne's office, talking animatedly whilst waiting for him to arrive.

"Someone's in a good mood," Craig noticed, watching Susan skip around the room.

"Richard's better and I don't have to hide anymore," she stopped and grinned up at him, "What's not to be happy about?"

"You've still got to explain this all to Tremayne," Sharron pointed out. Susan waved it off, laughing,

"You think I haven't been planning? I've got it all thought out." She grinned again, darting to open the door just as Tremayne reached for the handle. He jumped, rolling his eyes as the three agents burst out laughing.

"Good to see you better, Tremayne," Susan greeted, standing aside to let him enter.

"Mm, yes…" he said in response, straight to the point as always, "But there's still the matter of you, young lady." He strode to his desk, taking a seat behind it.

"How's Richard?" Craig and Susan asked together.

"Oh, he's still asleep. He'll be released as soon as he wakes up," Tremayne assured, "Amazing how fast the antidote worked on us. Now…" he began, leaning forward, "Susan Redman. You disappeared with your father little over three years ago! How on Earth can you be here today?"

Susan shrugged, "I hitched a ride back from Tibet with Richard, Sharron and Craig."

"Yes, I worked that much out myself, but even then you must've had two to three years between your crash and theirs."

"She's an incredibly versatile girl," Sharron declared.

"I managed to scavenge some stuff from the plane after it crashed," Susan explained, realising how unbelievable her story was, but having a good try nonetheless, "I scraped by on what I had and what I found."

"It's a miracle she wasn't badly hurt," Sharron added.

"But to survive a crash of that magnitude would be next to impossible!" Tremayne protested.

All three pairs of eyebrows shot up, and he sighed, leaning back on his chair, "Point taken. So you're saying you survived for almost three years on remains of what you had on the plane?"

"Pretty much," Susan confirmed, "And you can't say it hasn't been done. There was plenty of stuff that survived, not to mention what I could scavenge from elsewhere."

Tremayne looked unconvinced but, having obviously dealt with such vague answers from the other three, he backed down on that subject.

Susan almost let out a breath of relief that her lies had been swallowed. Her father had been an agent for Nemesis, and good friends with both Richard and Tremayne. She remembered the many visits Richard had paid to her and her ailing mother whilst her father was away on missions, and that possibly explained the stronger connection she had to him. When her father's plane crashed with her in it, she had been found by the mysterious and ancient civilisation, just as her friends had. They had healed her and, after much begging on her part, let her stay with them until she had a way to go home. That opportunity had arisen three years later, when Richard, Sharron and Craig had crashed close by. The old man had connected them telepathically to her, and sent her to go with them, making her promise she'd never tell a soul abut the city in the mountains. She'd been scared at first, but quickly gained her confidence upon recognising Richard, at which point she'd practically _begged_ to go with them.

When they got home (Susan hiding on the plane), Susan had decided she wasn't ready to face Nemesis, and spent a while hiding out in alleyways and on street corners despite the agents' protests -- happy to get by on her own without relying on anyone to provide for her; especially when that would mean having to put more effort into hiding her newfound abilities.


	5. Chapter 5

"And William?" Tremayne asked, returning to the conversation. Susan looked down, her hands clasped firmly behind her back.

"Not so lucky," she declared quietly.

"Even she couldn't find his body," Craig added grimly.

"He was a good man," said Tremayne sympathetically.

"It's my fault, really," Susan admitted, as a child would to a teacher when their friend was in trouble, "I shouldn't have stowed away, nor should I have been so disruptive. He lost control of the plane because I distracted him… He shouldn't really have been so easily sidetracked, but all the same… I can't help thinking that he died because of me. Since then I've tried to learn from it, to see the world how an adult might, so that I don't make the same mistakes."

"You've a lot of your father in you," Tremayne noted, "In looks as well as behaviour. I recognised those eyes almost instantly." He peered closer to her, "Not quite so gaunt, though…"

"Yes… If I remember rightly, William was so gaunt it was almost ghostly!"

Susan grinned widely at the sound of Richard's voice from the doorway.

"Richard!" she cried, running over to give him a tight hug.

"Oof! Careful!" he laughed, wincing slightly. Susan let go of him as if he were a red hot iron.

"Sorry," she apologised, "Oh, I was so worried though! I'm glad you're okay!"

" _We_ were worried," Craig corrected, winking.

"Yes, well, I was a bit more subtle about it, at least."

"Subtle? You were crying your little head off!"

"And you were pacing like a madman!" Susan laughed, "Not to mention the look!" She turned to Richard, grinning, "You know the look? Sort of…" She flared her nostrils and widened her eyes, exaggerating Craig's 'angry' face.

"I do not look like that!" Craig protested.

"I'm going to have to agree with Susan on this one," Richard laughed, smiling at the giggling child, "I'm positively flattered, but…" he absently rubbed at a corner of his mouth, moving to sit down, "about that story you were going to tell me…"

"We'll get to that in a moment," Tremayne interrupted, not giving in to the change of subject, "There's one thing I still don't understand," he said, "If you've been back for so long, why has it taken all this time for you to reappear? What have you been up to for so long?"

"Mm… I've been wanting to ask about that," Richard agreed, "I thought you wanted to stay hidden until you were old enough to join Nemesis?" he continued. Susan blushed, looking away.

"Like we said, we were worried about you," Craig answered for her.

"She blew caution to the wind, she was so scared," Sharron agreed.

"I help them out with missions sometimes, Tremayne," Susan confessed, "I help them with the small things, like getting into buildings via the vents, or providing a distraction."

"Her favourite is the 'innocent orphan'," Richard added.

"S'cuse me mister," Susan squeaked, tugging at Tremayne's sleeve and gazing innocently up at him, "C-could you-.. could I-.. It's just, you've got such a nice place here and… It's cold out, and… I couldn't have a bed for the night, could I, sir?"

"Get's them every time," Craig laughed.

"Yes, well, that's what I've been doing," Susan finished, sighing, "I suppose I'll have to stop now-.. now you know about it…"

Richard, Sharron and Craig all looked at Tremayne.

"Well… This is a very dangerous job, particularly for one as young as yourself."

"She's been a great help to us," Sharron contributed.

"Mm, she's not incapable in any way," Richard agreed.

"She can look after herself same as any of us!" Craig added.

Tremayne cast his eye over them all.

"But…" he sighed, "You realise you're far too young to join Nemesis, don't you?"

Susan looked up, hope glimmering in her eyes at the defeated tone in his voice, "Yessir, but you don't have to-.. I can work in secret, if-.."

"I may be able to arrange some-" He was cut off as Susan threw herself onto him.

"Oh, thank you! I promise I'll be really careful, and I won't do anything unless I'm told to, and-"

"Yes, yes, alright," Tremayne laughed, gently patting her on the back.

"Well let's get back to the matter at hand, shall we?" Richard said, moving a hand to his arm to ease a cramp. Susan's smile faltered as she realised what he was about to say.

"You really don't remember anything about what happened?" she asked.

"I remember… _anger._ I remember being angry for some reason, but then... nothing," Richard sighed, "I think you should definitely tell me all about it" he decided.


	6. Chapter 6

After a moment's hesitation, they started to tell Richard – and Tremayne – everything that had happened.. About the police car and the fake police station, and about Richard's sudden, violent reaction to Craig's presence.

"What on Earth did they do to make me so violent towards you?" Richard wondered aloud, frowning.

"We're not entirely-" Sharron started.

"I know," interrupted Susan. She rummaged in her pouch, which she had received as a gift from Craig, and retrieved a small pile of folded up papers.

"I went back to the 'police station'," she started, putting air quotes around the words "and I scribbled down everything I found. I'm used to sleepless nights, and I really wanted to do something to help, so while it was dark I went back and looked for anything to indicate exactly what had happened to you, Richard." She sighed, "They were thorough in hiding most of it, so I have no idea what they did to you, Tremayne, nor do I know about George, but I think it's all pretty similar stuff. Now, let's see…" she mumbled, consulting the papers, although she'd already memorised the contents. It was more a distraction so she didn't have to look anyone in the eye while she was revisiting all of this horrible stuff.

"The drug, as we know, jolts the brain. It clouds the person's memory, completely erasing their past and…" she gulped, "then they replace it. Insert a completely new childhood, a new life. Oh, it's horrible really. It starts basically true… Richard Barrett, born in Wiltshire, father was a banker, blah, blah… But then…" she turned the page, "You supposedly had a brother," she glanced at Craig, shaking slightly, "C-Craig betrayed you, killed both him and your father… actually, in this… this _twisted_ mess of a life, he butchered most of your friends and family…" She was shaking properly now, turning pale at what she was reading, "I never want to see something like that ever again…"

Richard stood, guiding her to a chair as her legs began to buckle.

"I'm sorry you had to see it at all," he said.

"No, it's not your fault… I'd started to blame Craig, but, then I realised none of us were to blame. Only the enemy. I should've realised it sooner, really. I used to blame daddy for the crash, used to think that if he'd spent more time with me than on his job, I wouldn't have stowed away, and he'd still be alive…" She smiled wryly, "But now I know it's hard to focus on family when there's world peace at stake, or…" she glanced at Richard, "fellow agents in trouble."

Tremayne walked over, handing her a small glass of icy cold water. She took it gratefully, sipping it and staring into nothing.

"Where are you staying now, then?" he wondered, earning a small giggle from Susan.

"About half a mile away," she told him, "Quite a roomy alleyway; cosy. Can't miss it."

"Alleyway?" Tremayne repeated, hurrying back to his desk, "Well, we need to get you somewhere to stay! I'll arrange something, just…"

He trailed off as he saw they were all laughing at him.

"Don't think we haven't tried, sir," Richard laughed.

"Stubborn as a mule, she is. If you don't back down after the first no, she'll start biting," Craig agreed.

"I do _not_ bite!" Susan protested, "Sorry, Tremayne," she continued, "It's just that I'm happy where I am! I get by, and I've settled into the routine now. Don't think after three plus years of fending for myself that I can just slip back into a normal life and not miss the old one!" She strolled over to the window, "Besides, I couldn't leave the group now. They rely on me to help them, even if I'm not the oldest," she finished.

"The group?"

"The other orphans," Sharron informed, "She looks after them."

After a few months of fending for herself in the streets of Geneva, she had been discovered by a group of seven or eight other orphans, and taken into the group as if she'd lived there all her life.

It certainly felt that way, now that she looked back at it. She'd gone from newcomer to group leader in a matter of months, all because she'd seemed more educated that the others, more experienced. There were two orphans older than her, but even they let her look after them as if she were an adult. She wondered how she would've survived on her own without them, and realised she couldn't imagine not knowing any of them. It was strange to think that orphans from so many different places: England, Scotland, America, and many other countries, could come together in one place and work as if they were a family.

"They're waiting for me…" Susan noted, looking outside. Tremayne did the same. Below, a small group of scruffy looking children were waiting, looking incredibly bored and occasionally glancing at the doors as people exited the building.

"I'd better go. The longer they wait, the bigger an earful I get," she decided, but paused on the way out, "They must've followed me here… Which means they saw me come in, which means they'll be asking about Richard. Drat." With that, she walked out without saying another word.

"She does that," Craig explained to Tremayne, using his superhuman powers to listen to the conversation outside.


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay you lot, I'm here, don't worry!" Susan announced, striding out of Nemesis whilst shoving the papers into her pouch.

"We saw you with those people," one boy said.

"You looked pretty upset, so we followed you in case something happened," a girl told her.

"And when you went in there with that man all beat up, we waited here," a smaller boy finished.

Craig smiled. It was obviously a routine amongst the orphans to tell her everything that had happened, and they made a habit of doing so without being questioned.

"I didn't see you when I left…" Susan recalled, confused.

"Well it's like you taught us, innit?" a boy said, "stay hidden unless necessary. And it was dark, so we wasn't expecting you! You came back, anyway, so we waited longer."

A small boy in a pair of torn, filthy pyjamas spoke in a small, shy voice.

"We missed you…"

Susan smiled fondly at the child.

"I was only gone a day or two," she laughed, ruffling the boy's bright red hair, "Now then," she continued, to be interrupted by yet another boy in the crowd.

"You're hurt!"

"I am?" Susan raised a hand to her face, feeling for the first time the painful bruise on her chin, and the stinging cut at the corner of her eye, made as she'd been thrown against the chair, "Oh, that! Nothing to worry about, just had a bit of a fall, is all."

"But what about that man you were with? He looked pretty beat up, too!"

"He got into a bit of a fight. One of those madmen I warned you all to avoid."

"So why did you take him in there?"

"There's an infirmary in there, and it was closest," Susan explained, her brain working overtime to try and find excuses.

"What is Nemesis, anyway?"

Susan thought about this for a moment.

 _'Y'know,'_ she mumbled telepathically to Craig and the others, head down, pretending she was massaging a headache, ' _For a secret agency, you really do have a lot of signs outside. 'Nemesis is this way! We're a secret agency, but ssh, don't tell anyone!'_

"It's just one of those boring places where adults work. Nothing interesting," is what she said aloud.

"Then why's there an infirmary there?"

"Because they work with dangerous equipment, of course!" Susan sighed exasperatedly, running out of answers, "Look, I didn't come here to be interrogated! Let's get back home and you can tell me everything there." She shooed them away, sending one last smile up at Craig, who was watching at the window.

_Sometimes you just have to take what life throws at you. Bad things happen, yes, but sometimes good things come from it. You may sometimes think that bad things outweigh the good, but it's the small things that really count. Shows of kindness, of friendship, of love, are all what makes the human race so special._

_Susan Redman: the girl who lost a father and found a family. She is one of the Champions, a twelve year old orphan, and part-time operator for the international agency, Nemesis._


End file.
